


Strange Beginnings

by Featherlight_Stories



Category: Actor RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Featherlight_Stories/pseuds/Featherlight_Stories
Summary: Lyra finds herself unceremoniously dumped into the world of A-list actors and celebrities when she offers help to a few famous folks at her martial arts studio. Paparazzi shines the spotlight on her, much to her frustration, while she fights to maintain a powerful position within her company. When budding friendship turns into romance, it forces her to face the pain of past sexual assaults and begin a new chapter in the healing process.This is a slice-of-life romance that shows the resiliency of a woman who chooses to heal, and the strength of two people overcoming struggles together. The healing practices in this are real and can be used by survivors, but please consult with therapists or trauma-related readings to further your own journey to your power and sexual awareness.Constructive criticism is always welcome!
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

There was nothing to indicate that they had entered the building. No gasps or exclamations, no rush of movement for autographs, or a sudden stillness from shock. The martial arts studio remained balanced and busy, treating the guests as if they were no different from other students. A student approached them, asked for their information, and then set off to find their teacher.

This directed their attention to the young woman that the master was coaching. Her fists were wrapped for kickboxing, but neither wore a head guard. Colorful dragon tattoos snuck out from underneath her workout top and partially down each upper arm. She struck at the large pads that her teacher held, hissing her breath; the hits sounded solid. The student approached and waited as the master signaled to stop. The young woman with short hair bowed and stepped back, her chest rapidly rising and falling. She glanced over at the new guests, raised her eyebrows in surprise, but immediately prepared to spare with the student who traded spots with her teacher.

“Henry Cavill.” said Henry, turning his attention away from the woman and back toward the teacher. He held out a hand as the older Asian man, complete with a man bun and slim goatee, approached. The teacher shook the offered hand, smiled back, and said,

“Brad Nygun. I’ll be training you three, and my students will also be assisting in your teaching.” he turned to the other two actors and held out a hand, and they introduced themselves, “Tom Hiddleston.” said Tom, clasping Brad’s hand in both of his.

“Dylan O’Brien.” Dylan said just as cheerfully, but Brad noticed the faint tremor in his grasp.

“It’s a pleasure to be training you.” Brad said, stepping back and smiling at them, “I understand you have a few months before filming starts, right?”

“Three months,” Dylan said, his voice a little high with nervousness, “The director, and us,” he gestured to themselves, “just want us to be safe and make sure we look good. There’s gonna be a lot of fighting and stunts.”

“Good,” Brad said, clapping his hand together once in agreement, “I like your director already. Our priority is your safety and wellness. All our students here have different requirements and different restrictions,” he turned to look around at the students in the large room, “We try to fit everyone into a workout that suits them. But I think you all have directions on what you need to look like?” Brad led them inside, walking along the edge of the mats and toward a room where they would begin their discussions and contracts. As they passed the young woman, Brad noted their eyes wandered toward her almost immediately. And watched as his student Lyra, ever receptive, felt their gaze and saw her shoulders tightened. She was extremely sensitive, shifting her body language and positioning herself so that one eye was kept on the guests as they passed. The moment was so slight that anyone watching her straight on would have missed it. And just as they slipped by, Lyra caught her partner in a position that required speed and tremendous strength and forced him to the ground. She did not look at the group, but both Brad and her partner knew it was for show. As one of the only three women here, it was a power play, a warning.

“In here, please.” Brad held a door open to a room and directed them in.

This was going to be a chaotic next few months.

Lyra was just leaving the mat as the door opened to the money room, where the contracts were signed, and the three actors stepped out, talking cheerfully with her teacher. She gave them a tentative glance just as Henry caught her eye and smiled widely at her. Lyra merely nodded and turned away as disappointment flashed briefly across his face. She took a seat facing the mirror to stretch, glancing up from time to time to see what was going on. The group still stood together, chattering about the film and fitting styles. Lyra wondered if they recognized her. She shrugged at her reflection; probably not. She’d only met with the directors and producers. But, maybe they knew her name? Lyra glanced again at them in the mirror and her heart jumped; this was all so very unexpected and wild. _I doubt they’ll even recognize me at the meeting._ She stretched forward to grab her ankles and felt the anxiety begin to bubble in her stomach. It was exciting. But crazy. Her book being made into a movie, what a wild world she was in! Lyra silently grinned to herself as she stretched. Later in the week, she was expected at another meeting and there was a possibility one or two actors would be there. They weren't required to attend, the director told her, but some liked to get a little more perspective on their character.

“Your tattoos are amazing!” Lyra sat up and looked over her shoulder; the younger one, Dylan, grinned at her. To Lyra’s embarrassment, she felt her face flush, but she called back, “Thanks!” Dylan gave her a thumbs-up as they turned to leave. Before they did, Henry caught her eye again and smiled. She gave a small one back but quickly returned to stretching. _I’ll be damned if anyone thinks I’m going to jump on the next A-list actor looking my way!_ She promised herself, despite the flutter in her chest, _But why does he have to be so good-looking?_ She wondered grumpily and ran a hand through her short hair. It was still sweaty. After a moment of attempting to stretch but instead just sitting there as her mind whirled, she finally gave up. Sighing with frustration, she stood up and went to grab her gym bag from the cubbies. She walked along the mats when a sudden movement caught her eye. She looked up at the windows to the parking lot to see a very small crowd gathering.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled softly. The other students had also paused to watch as the small crowd hovered near the front doors.

“That was quick,” Henry muttered. Tom and Dylan looked equally as defeated.

“We’re very sorry.” Lyra heard Tom say, “We didn’t expect this.” Brad shook his head, “Don’t apologize for something you don’t have control over. We’ll figure this out.” he looked up and spotted Lyra, who was already trying to sneak out to the back parking lot unnoticed.

“Oh, Lyra! Could you show them the way out the back door? You guys can catch an uber or call a ride from the back, or however celebrities get themselves out of this!”

“Um...usually we have a team…” Henry added sheepishly, “Outsmarting a crowd isn’t always that easy.” Then all eyes turned back to Lyra, who immediately wished she could blend into the wall. She paused and then offered the single-handedly most ridiculous solution,

“Would you guys be comfortable if I gave you a lift out of here? I can drop you off where you need to go and then you can pick up your cars later. Brad, I can turn around and come back to help you shoo the crowd?” Brad shook his head and chuckled,

“I don’t want to terrorize the crowd, but thank you.”

“We would really appreciate it.” Tom said, stepping towards her, “We know this is very odd and an inconvenience.”

“No worries,” Lyra said, “You’ve certainly made my day more interesting. Follow me.”


	2. Chapter 2

Lyra gave a silent, grateful prayer to the vehicle gods for reminding her to clean out her car. Tom, Henry, and Dylan all trailed behind her as they squeezed between rubber sparring dummies and an assortment of boxes in the storage room.

“We’re almost there,” she said as they stepped carefully between all the stored martial arts props. 

“Thank you for doing this. I’m sure it’s….weird.” came the deeper, British voice behind her. She didn’t turn around,

“No problem. Though, definitely isn’t how I imagined how today would go.”

“Us either.” came Tom’s accent. Lyra caught herself smiling as she reached for the back entrance door. She carefully opened it, as quietly as she could, and peeked out. She glanced around the three cars parked back there. No crowd. Not a fangirl in sight.

“Okay, we are free to go.” she announced and pushed the door open. The guys hustled out, and then waited nervously for Lyra to lock the door back up. She then fished the key from a pocket on her gym back, saying,

“It's the black Fast and Furious looking car.” She said, pressing the unlock button on the key and then ushering them quickly to the black Dodge Charger. 

“A 1970 Charger?”said Henry, looking back at her with an arched eyebrow. She grinned,

“It guzzles gas like you wouldn’t believe, but I can afford it.”

“How are we going to fit in that?” Tom asked, looking at the very limited back seating. Lyra paused, “Well, just fold the seat down to get in first, and then you and Dylan should be able to squeeze into the back. Henry will be a bit too, uh, bulky for that.”

“Bulky?” Henry said with mock anger as the other two squeezed into the back seat, quietly laughing.

“Sorry,” she said, with a laugh and shrug, “But it's true! Just get in and thank me later.”

She trotted around to the driver’s side and got in. As she buckled, poor Henry had to squeeze and fold himself into the passenger seat. His head brushed the roof and his knees here at chest level. Lyra glanced back at the other two, Dylan was pressed against the side window and Tom was completely hunched over.

“Sorry guys.” she said, trying hard to hold back a laugh. 

“Can I push this seat back?” Henry asked, looking pained. Dylan and Tom immediately protested. Lyra apologized again, laughing this time. Henry gave her a dry look, which she ignored. 

“Look, hang in there and I’ll get us to where you wanna go quick! I’ll try not to keep you in here too long.” She turned the engine on and it roared to life. She threw on the AC and reversed quickly out of the parking spot.

“They’re gonna see us either way, so I’m just gonna zip by.” she said, picking up a little speed as they rounded the corner of the building. She glanced over at the crowd, who already anticipated them from the growl of her engine. She made eye contact with one girl and then the crowd broke into a frenzy of excited shouts and a sea of Iphones. 

“Go, go, go!” Dylan exclaimed from the back. The black charger roared out from the parking lot and into the street. Caught up in the exhilaration, they laughed wildly. 

Lyra charged down the streets, finally asking,

“So, where am I headed?”

“My apartment. I’m renting one during the filming.” Henry said, and then looked over his shoulder at Tom and Dylan, “Dinner at my place? I’d like to thank Miss Lyra here for her service.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Lyra said, keeping her eyes on the road as she felt her face heat up.

“Nonsense.” said Henry; she could hear the smile in his voice.

“I completely agree,” Tom chimed in, “This was very kind of you to spend your time and gas on three strangers.”

“Who did nothing but complain about how compact your car is.” Dylan added as the leather seat creaked from shifting his weight. Lyra couldn’t think of anything to say and just shook her head.

“Say yes.” Henry said. Lyra glanced over to meet his eyes briefly and felt her face heat up again. 

“Alright, alright. Let’s do that.” she said, quickly looking back at the road.

“Great!” Henry exclaimed, clapping his hands together, “Any orders, anyone?”

They bickered and laughed the whole way to Henry’s apartment, particularly at other people’s double takes as they drove past.

Henry directed her to park in a discrete spot in the underground parking garage and they all climbed out. Every single one of them groaned and stretched as soon as they got out of the car. Lyra forced herself to look away politely as Henry stretched. His shirt lifted up just enough to reveal the muscled lines of his abdomen. She focused on locking the car.

“Alright!” Henry exclaimed, “Let’s head up there!” Tom and Dylan headed toward the elevator, but Henry waited for Lyra and walked shoulder to shoulder with her. 

“I also have a dog.” he said, looking down at her, “You aren’t allergic, are you?”

Lyra smiled at him and shook her head,

“Not at all, I had dogs all my childhood.” 

Henry looked pleased. They joined Tom and Dylan at the elevator, 

“I’m thinking steaks and potatoes?” Henry said to the group, “And drinks?” Lyra’s heart dropped at the thought of them drunk. But she shook the anxiety away thinking,  _ They’re actors. They won’t do anything stupid to hurt their career.  _

The elevator doors opened and they all crammed inside. Lyra was pressed between Tom and Henry, both tried to angle themselves to give her more space, but there just wasn’t enough room. She was pressed up against Henry’s side with Tom’s hip against hers. 

“Sounds great, but I’ll have to decline the drinks.” Lyra said, she looked apologetically up at Henry, “I have work tomorrow.” He nodded and said,

“That’s understandable.”

“Where do you work?” Dylan asked from the other side of Tom, leaning forward to peer around him. 

“I’m an executive director of a healthcare company, Zetica. The short version is we provide an assortment of resources to help people navigate health insurance. We went national last year.”

“That’s amazing!” Dylan exclaimed, “When did you start?”

“Three years ago.” Lyra responded with a very self-satisfied grin, “I pitched the efforts that helped us go national.”

“That’s pretty impressive.” Tom added, just as the elevator came to a stop at the highest floor. 

“Thank you,” Lyra said proudly. 

“I do have a question though,” Henry said as they stepped out and headed down a hallway, “How does your company feel about your tattoos?”

“Perfectly fine, because they don’t know about them.” she said with a laugh, “And I’m planning on keeping it that way!”

  
  


The chatter till dinner kept them busy and cheerful, with Henry’s dog Kal repeatedly trying to join the conversation. He would spend time sitting directly on Lyra’s foot when she stood up, earning an approving look from Henry. They sat at the island in the kitchen on bar stools as Henry cooked. 

“That smells amazing, Henry.” Lira said as the scent of steak, rosemary, and garlic wafted around the small kitchen. Henry looked back over his shoulder and glowed at her,

“Good, it should!”

“You should say ‘thank you’.” Tom chided cheerfully, glass of wine in hand and a faint glaze to his eyes. Henry laughed, looked back over his shoulder from the pan,

“Thank you Lyra. I am pleased to satisfy your olfactory nerves.” Lyra laughed at him, feeling warm. It was a great evening. She wished she could be drinking with them,

_ Don’t be greedy. _ She thought to herself, and leaned her cheek on her hand. Faint classical music could be heard from the living room. 

“Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” Dylan asked for the third time, with his own second beer half gone. 

“Dylan!” Henry scolded, “I think she was clear the first five times. We don’t pressure women to drink.” Dylan was sober enough to flush, but still chuckled,

“Sorry Lyra, it just feels like we should be bending over backwards to make this a great evening for you,” he said. 

“It already is.” she said warmly. She had relaxed about an hour ago, the old feelings of wariness and fear having melted almost entirely away. They seemed to be aware of themselves, never crowding her, never pressuring her. Instead, the kitchen was alive with savory aromas, animated conversation, and soft lighting. 

Lyra reached down to pet Kal’s big head. He leaned into her thigh, panting happily. 

“What a strange day today was.” Tom said suddenly, and got head nods from everyone.

“You’re telling me.” Lyra said, taking a sip of her soda.

“I can’t imagine.” Henry said, “I am sorry to interrupt, but Lyra could you baste these steak for me for a moment? They’re almost done, I just need to grab a few things. Tom, Dylan, can you guys grab plates and silverware?” Lyra got up, much to Kal’s displeasure, and skirted around Tom to get to Henry. Henry looked down at her, smiling widely. With the kitchen towel draped over one shoulder and frying pan in hand, he looked so domestic. 

“Thank you,” he said, keeping her gaze and then handing her the handle to the pan. She took it from him, and then the basting spoon. Their fingers brushed, the small fumbling feeling warm and prolonged. Lyra flushed, smiling slightly, and tried to focus on the pan. He towered over her, feeling warm and steady at her side. Lyra couldn’t take her attention away from him, even as she cooked. She could nearly feel each breath he took.

“Perfect, just like that.” He said, leaning closer to look at the steaks. His hand touched her back, briefly, but she felt the heat radiating from it like a branding iron. And then Henry stepped away and the world around her felt empty and cold. Lyra tried very hard to focus on the steaks. 

There was the clatter of dishes and silverware behind her as they set the island. Kal nails clicked on the floor as he begged. She anticipated Henry’s presence every time he moved around her and could feel his body inches away from hers as he reached over her shoulder for condiments in the cabinet. The noises around faded out until he was gone again. 

Once dinner was set and they ate, the world seemed to return to normal. The three talked, commenting on the deliciousness of the food, and once, on the bright colors of Lyra’s tattooed dragons. They laughed often. Finally, all the plates were empty and the hours had ticked by. 

“Let me help you clean up.” Lyra said and they began collecting the dishes, and she reached for a center plate. Tom immediately snatched it away,

“No. We do this for you, dear.” he smiled, “It’s also quite late and you said you have work tomorrow.”

“Agreed.” Piped up Dylan and he took Lyra’s own plate, “We’ll clean up, you go home and get some rest.”

“Henry, since you cooked, we’ll clean.” Tom said, turning to Henry, “And we’re also spending the night.”

Henry laughed, 

“I figured you both would! Thanks for taking care of the dishes.” 

“Well, thank you all for the great night and a very, very odd day.” Lyra said, smiling at them.

Tom and Dylan beamed at her,

“It’s our pleasure!” said Tom, “And we’ll see you at the studio?” Lyra nodded as she grabbed her keys from the counter,

“Perfect.” explained Dylan, “We’ll see you later then!”

They exchanged hugs and well-wishes and then Lyra stepped back out into the hallway.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

The day of the meeting with the directors did not start well. A different meeting at work started early, without warning, and she had to scramble to get her team together. Being an Executive Director, someone should have bothered to tell her that the meeting had been moved up by two hours. 

_ But I’m the youngest director here. And a woman. _ Lyra snarled at her reflection in the bathroom. There was always some pissed off older man who didn’t like a younger woman telling him what to do. They always tried to undermine her.  _ But they’re about to be voted out,  _ she reminded herself with particular satisfaction; the election for the board was coming up. But she glowered at her reflection again. Despite having short hair, it could be so unmanageable! She wet her hands to try to get the cowlick to comply. 

And then Lyra realized she should have left 15 minutes ago for the meeting with the movie directors. 

As she roared out of the parking lot, she called the director on her car’s bluetooth,

“Don’t worry,” he said, “Henry's actually running late for a change so we’ll wait for him. Take your time!”

Her heart was flip-flopping in her chest before she even ended the call. Henry Cavill. Nevermind that she’d miraculously had dinner with him and Tom Hiddleston and Dylan O’Brien.

_ “ _ You’re a professional, little girl,” she scolded herself, “Keep it together.” 

By the time she arrived at the studio, she was actually on time. Lyra was relieved she hadn’t been pulled over for speeding as badly as she had been. She took a deep breath, reminded herself that she was, indeed, a professional, and walked towards the building. 

“Lyra?”

A deep and familiar voice called out from behind her. She turned to see Henry, who looked confused and apprehensive,

“What’re you doing here?” he asked as he came closer. Lyra was immediately agitated by his suspicion, 

“Going to the same meeting you are.” she said, “I thought you were running late?” His dumbfounded expression was extremely satisfying. “I wrote the book that is being adapted into the movie you’re acting in.”

His eyebrows jumped up,

“I had no idea!”

Lyra nodded proudly, and then added sardonically, “Think I was stalking you?” Henry actually managed to blush and apologized, saying, “Sorry. But you’d be surprised how delusion some fans can get.” 

“Fair enough,” Lyra said and then gestured to the building, “Do you know which room we’re in? They didn’t tell me.”

The meeting, for a change, went smoothly. She behaved like her usual executive director self, all business and formality. Her power suit was a sharp contrast to the jeans and t-shirts that the directors and producers wore. Even Henry was dressed casually, but Lyra refused to feel overdressed. 

“If it’s possible, could I visit the sets from time to time? Assuming I can get time off work.” Lyra asked as the meeting began to wind down, “I don’t want to interfere with anything. I just haven’t been behind the scenes before, and I would love to see it.” She smiled warmly at them. 

“I don’t see any reason why not,” the director said, looking over at his colleagues, “We’d love to have you there. Just give us some notice so we can have a PA help out. Most of it is going to be shot north of here, where the woods are. Some will be in a studio.”

“Great, thank you!” Lyra exclaimed, “I’ll definitely let you know.” But then a producer cleared his throat and leaned forward, clasping his hands together. Lyra’s shoulders tightened; was there some bad news?

“Have...you seen the news lately?” he asked. Lyra paused, confused,

“Ah no, I haven’t. Is….something going on?” she asked. The producer nodded and then pulled out his phone to show her a news article,

“What’s going on?” Henry asked from the other side of the table. But Lyra didn’t say anything as she took the phone and saw the headline. A demeaning, catastrophic headline. 

_ Foursome with Tom Hiddleston, Dylan O'Brien, and Henry Cavill: Hollywood’s Newest Girlfriend? _ It read, showing a picture of the four of them laughing outside her car, side by side with another photo of them getting to Henry’s parking garage elevator.

“It’s a tabloid that’s pretty small. Relatively unknown.” the producer said, but his voice sounded far away, “I just wanted to give you a heads-up on what can happen with the publicity.”

Lyra covered her mouth with her hand, still staring at the tabloid. She felt the blood rush to her face. The shame. The embarrassment. Do these people, sitting around the table, think this too? Did they think she was just some slut?

“What?” Henry asked, sounding frustrated. Wordlessly, she passed the phone down to him and heard him snort in disgust. 

“Total bullshit.” he said and handed the phone back to its owner. He then leaned forward to catch Lyra’s eye and said,

“I’m really sorry you got caught up in that. They’re usually not as harsh, but I think it’s because it’s a small tabloid. They’re probably trying to catch some attention for a change.” He smiled encouragingly at her. But Lyra’s heart had already sunk and the burning embarrassment was replaced with anger. 

“Are you kidding me?” she snapped, “I have a board election in two weeks, run by a bunch of old white guys who hate having a woman in the office, let alone one who makes decisions for them!  _ This _ could get me completely voted off! I could lose my job.” She sat back, already regretting her outburst, but not caring. The table went silent for a moment. As she ran a hand through her hair, the producer who showed her the article said,

“I’m really sorry Lyra. No one here thinks that about you. But I’m sorry if this affects your work, I really am. But no one can control the paparazzi and what they’ll run in their tabloids.”

Lyra heaved a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment,

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll figure it out.”

“It’s okay,” Henry said, “If anything goes wrong, let me know how I can help. I could, I dunno, talk to your board members?” 

Lyra chuckled at the thought, “Thank you, I appreciate it.” Then she sighed again, “And thank you for letting me know about the article. It’s an unfortunate wake up call.” The producer nodded, giving her an apologetic look. 

“Hey, are you going to the martial art studio after this?” Henry asked suddenly, “I am. You should come, it might help you blow off some steam. I’ll even let you punch me.” He raised his eyebrows and smiled. Lyra chuckled,

“I was planning to anyway. I don’t know if you want me to take you up on that offer though, I hit pretty hard.”

Henry just laughed. 

  
  



End file.
